Chalk Work

Wall drawings in chalk, photographed at completion, then erased.

These pieces were made on a single wall, photographed when finished, then erased to make room for the next drawing. The work is temporary by design, what remains is the image, and whatever the image carries.

This started in January 2015 while I was waiting during my daughters’ piano lessons. I had 45 minutes and a chalkboard. I drew something on a whim, photographed my daughter in front of it, and we ended up repeating it every week. Over time that small ritual became a serious practice.

As the wall grew, so did the work. The drawings became slower, more detailed, and more conceptual. The earliest pieces were made on a small chalkboard, roughly 4–5 feet wide. Later walls allowed for much larger work, with many drawings ranging between 10 and 15 feet wide. My current wall is about 10 feet wide, and the previous wall allowed for pieces closer to 15–17 feet.

Some are finished in a few hours. Others take 100+.

My process is simple: draw, photograph, erase, begin again. The impermanence is part of the point. It keeps the work honest, and it keeps me moving.